The Trent Richardson Thread (1 Viewer)

[Kool-Aid Larry]

From Rotoworld:

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7462/trent-richardson

Colts GM Ryan Grigson says Trent Richardson "needs to answer the bell" and be "accountable."

Richardson gained eight yards on his first preseason carry, and has 26 yards on his last 13. "Trent, he needs to answer the bell and do his job to the best of his ability," said Grigson. "Were all accountable here. ...Hes such a hard runner, we know how tough he is, but hes got to produce just like all these guys do on this final 53."

pretty sure he was already doing that all last year

 

[rct]

From Rotoworld:

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/7462/trent-richardson

Colts GM Ryan Grigson says Trent Richardson "needs to answer the bell" and be "accountable."

Richardson gained eight yards on his first preseason carry, and has 26 yards on his last 13. "Trent, he needs to answer the bell and do his job to the best of his ability," said Grigson. "Were all accountable here. ...Hes such a hard runner, we know how tough he is, but hes got to produce just like all these guys do on this final 53."

pretty sure he was already doing that all last year

Not according to Trent. I remember some interview pre training camp where he said (something to the effect) that he just memorized the playbook but never really understood it last year, but he was going to work on that.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Does anyone have an UNBIASED view on his game tape in Cleveland? I might go download some of his rookie season over the weekend and post again. The Indy OL does seem really poor in the pre-season, arguably the worst I've seen this August. Rotoworld claims both of his better runs came out of shotgun and I cannot recall a single design carry, in which he actually had somewhere to go. That said, he does stop moving his legs way too quickly for my taste, when he hits more than one tackler. I am curious whether that would continue if Indy went all-pass and he faced 6-7 man fronts.

In terms of projections, I think 250 carries at 3.8 - 4.0 ypc is probably a fair guess, but 30 receptions seems conservative. By the end of a highly underperforming last season, he still averaged 3.5 - 4 catches per game. Given Indy's overall propensity to pass first, I'd guess 40 receptions at 7-8 ypc is close to the floor. The TDs are a wild card for me - if he keeps the GL duties, double digits are very possible.

So, put it all together, 1200-1300 all-purpose yards + 8-10 TDs + 40 catches => that's a decent PPR RB2 in my book.

yeah, there's a good article scrutinizing his cle days back on page 9, or whatever it is --- should've been following the thread instead of bandwagoning.

it's ####### hilarious to me how all these talent evaluators sitting on their couch can quickly id indy's o-line as absolutely terrible, horrific, horrible, terrific.........no, wait,,,,,,,,richardson's terrific.

the line is easily spotted as awful but a fair guess for an actually awful rb running behind this supposedly awful line becomes 250 carries at 4 ypc and 10 td, when just last year he put up 188 carries at 3 ypc and 3 td.



if you can't recall a single carry where the line gave him anywhere to go then apparently you didn't watch that last game, as that's how he managed to actually break off his highlight reel 8 yd run -- they gave him about 7 yards and he backfilled it.

he had another run, or two, for 5 yds that looked good, but if we're spending this much time lauding a guy for a 5 yd highlight reel run I think that pretty much sums him up.

 

[MoveToSkypager]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

 

[jmo87usc]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

No he thinks he will get anywhere from 960-1280 yards. If he gets 300 carries like the very average Reuben Droughns did for the Browns back in 2005, then I can see him reaching these numbers. I don't know if the volume will be there for him though.

If he did end up with 960 yards, say 40 catches for 350 yards and only 3 total TD's, that would put him at RB16 in my league. Based on last years numbers. I would take that. But it all depends if the volume is there for him.

 

[Zdravko]

........

......

...and, case in point, this is the type of clown/troll posting people should ignore rather than dispute, so we can have a more useful thread.

Except the last point, which raises a valuable question: how did he look on his few 'good' carries?

I watched those through my GamePass, but the only public video link I could find was this, at about 0:30: http://www.nfl.com/videos/indianapolis-colts/0ap3000000375575/Jets-vs-Colts-preseason-highlights

Overall, looks fine to me in those - a far cry from Larry's horse-with-blinders assessment. If people have access to the play-by-play videos, would be great to hear what others see in the Q1 carries against the Giants.

Also, dude, put some numbers down, so we can all review this later. Where are your balls?

 

[Jrodicus]

I keep checking this thread for some relevant insight and/or information to no avail.

Thanks for your contribution.

 

[MoveToSkypager]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

No he thinks he will get anywhere from 960-1280 yards. If he gets 300 carries like the very average Reuben Droughns did for the Browns back in 2005, then I can see him reaching these numbers. I don't know if the volume will be there for him though.

If he did end up with 960 yards, say 40 catches for 350 yards and only 3 total TD's, that would put him at RB16 in my league. Based on last years numbers. I would take that. But it all depends if the volume is there for him.

You better let him answer that question. But sure, I'd take that too. I'd also take 1800 total yards with 15 TDs, since we are in fantasy mode.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

this is why they call it fantasy football

 

[Clifford]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

So if you think he performs just well enough to maintain bell-cow status, then assuming carries on par with rookie year are reasonable. His rookie year he had over 950 yards and 11 tds.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

 

[jmo87usc]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

Good question. And why did they give him 19 and 16 carries weeks 15 and 16? After 6 straight weeks of 8 carries or less. The coaching decisions are as bad as the play of Richardson. That's why no one knows how many carries he will get this year. It's not a healthy situation. That's for sure.

 

[Clifford]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

Because he sucked and they had better options. Two things that could change in 2014. Your opinion is that neither will. My opinion is I really don't know if either will.

I have two sample sets. The more recent says there is little reason for optimism. The less recent says there is room for it. Sorry but I have watched every preseason carry and other than the stats I have not seen much that tells me which way his arrow will point.

The safe bet says that a back that everyone agrees is a good athlete with sufficient power to be an NFL RB can figure out some of the mental errors he's making and turn in a decent season with opportunity.

It's more of a longshot to say that he finishes the same or worse than last year. If that does happen I think he is a lifetime backup or out of the league soon.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

Good question. And why did they give him 19 and 16 carries weeks 15 and 16? After 6 straight weeks of 8 carries or less. The coaching decisions are as bad as the play of Richardson. That's why no one knows how many carries he will get this year. It's not a healthy situation. That's for sure.

The Colts went 11-5, guy, with a young team decimated by injuries. The offense was in the top half of the league in both scoring and yardage, despite basically having a good QB and almost nothing else. I always love when people bust out the "my guy in FF doesn't get enough touches = the coaching sucks" excuse. Hamilton is no offensive genius, but he's not a moron. Richardson didn't get more work because the other RBs, not to mention Andrew freaking Luck's arm, gave the team a better chance to win games. Full stop. It had nothing to do with bad coaching.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

Good question. And why did they give him 19 and 16 carries weeks 15 and 16? After 6 straight weeks of 8 carries or less. The coaching decisions are as bad as the play of Richardson. That's why no one knows how many carries he will get this year. It's not a healthy situation. That's for sure.

because donald brown, who had supplanted him weeks earlier, got knocked out of the week 15 game with a stinger after about a quarter?

now I'll ask you one --- what did richardson do with those 35 carries after about 3 months with his new team?

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

Because he sucked and they had better options. Two things that could change in 2014.

I actually think you're bringing the 2 sides together a bit after maybe 60+ pages.

I would also agree if he stops sucking and they have absolutely no other alternative he has an outside chance to volume his way to rb2.

 

[jmo87usc]

What's funny is that there is a good chance of both sides here being completely wrong. He probably won't be terrible, won't be great. Probably a guy that will get about 60-80 yards a game on the ground, and have a good shot at a TD once a week.

You think he's going to run for 1100+ yards?

960-1280. Basically I think he has a decent shot to repeat his rookie year. With indy he only had 7 games with double-digit carries last year.

And why was that?

Good question. And why did they give him 19 and 16 carries weeks 15 and 16? After 6 straight weeks of 8 carries or less. The coaching decisions are as bad as the play of Richardson. That's why no one knows how many carries he will get this year. It's not a healthy situation. That's for sure.

because donald brown, who had supplanted him weeks earlier, got knocked out of the week 15 game with a stinger after about a quarter?

now I'll ask you one --- what did richardson do with those 35 carries after about 3 months with his new team?

Not sure if you think I am, but I'm not defending Richardson by any means. The dude looks awful and to answer your question he put up terrible numbers with those touches. However week 15 he put up 19 points in my ppr league despite the awful numbers. That was good for rb1 points. My argument has always been despite how bad he has been, the book is not closed on what he can become. Your argument is we have seen his best and he is on his way out. I disagree but I respect your stance.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

see my post directly above yours

edit: where did he rank in week 16, btw?

 

[jmo87usc]

see my post directly above yours

edit: where did he rank in week 16, btw?

I overlooked that post. We are in agreement there. And yes his week 16 numbers gave him only 8 points. I didn't mean to make it sound like he would always put up RB1 numbers. If he ends up getting enough volume to give him decent numbers, I still wouldn't trust him as anything more than my RB3.

 

[Jrodicus]

Pagano made a comment about Trent's best runs coming from passing formations. It will be interesting to see the play-calling tonight.

 

[SacramentoBob]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right? I watch most Alabama football games and I thought he was the best out of him, Lacy and Ingram (had Ingram last). Really surprised to see him struggle in the NFL like this. If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face. Even if you think he'll suck but get a good workload, usually guys like that get replaced after a few games. If he's averaging 3YPC after 4 games, no way do they let him get away with 200-300 carries on the season.

 

[cstu]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right? I watch most Alabama football games and I thought he was the best out of him, Lacy and Ingram (had Ingram last). Really surprised to see him struggle in the NFL like this. If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face. Even if you think he'll suck but get a good workload, usually guys like that get replaced after a few games. If he's averaging 3YPC after 4 games, no way do they let him get away with 200-300 carries on the season.

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

 

[Jrodicus]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right? I watch most Alabama football games and I thought he was the best out of him, Lacy and Ingram (had Ingram last). Really surprised to see him struggle in the NFL like this. If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face. Even if you think he'll suck but get a good workload, usually guys like that get replaced after a few games. If he's averaging 3YPC after 4 games, no way do they let him get away with 200-300 carries on the season.

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

 

[Coeur de Lion]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right? I watch most Alabama football games and I thought he was the best out of him, Lacy and Ingram (had Ingram last). Really surprised to see him struggle in the NFL like this. If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face. Even if you think he'll suck but get a good workload, usually guys like that get replaced after a few games. If he's averaging 3YPC after 4 games, no way do they let him get away with 200-300 carries on the season.

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

A single preseason game shouldn't outweigh a two year sample size, regardless of whether he's at 10 YPC or -10 YPC.

 

[cloppbeast]

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

So then, why does this thread get bumped every 30 seconds? We have clearly reached an impasse. Maybe give it rest already.

 

[cstu]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right? I watch most Alabama football games and I thought he was the best out of him, Lacy and Ingram (had Ingram last). Really surprised to see him struggle in the NFL like this. If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face. Even if you think he'll suck but get a good workload, usually guys like that get replaced after a few games. If he's averaging 3YPC after 4 games, no way do they let him get away with 200-300 carries on the season.

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

That is simply not true. If he plays well I'll be the first to say it. I've already said he looked better last week than in the first game. Picked up Dan Herron just in case though.

 

[GreenNGold]

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

So then, why does this thread get bumped every 30 seconds? We have clearly reached an impasse. Maybe give it rest already.

If you don't like this thread, don't post in it, you just helped keep it alive.

That being said, no, tonight's game is not going to determine anything, the regular season is the only thing that can do that.

 

[cstu]

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

So then, why does this thread get bumped every 30 seconds? We have clearly reached an impasse. Maybe give it rest already.

If you don't like this thread, don't post in it, you just helped keep it alive.

That being said, no, tonight's game is not going to determine anything, the regular season is the only thing that can do that.

Determine, no, but it would be nice to see Richardson play well.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right?

oh yeah, this is the game

should definitely clear up those previous 18 games

 

[cloppbeast]

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

So then, why does this thread get bumped every 30 seconds? We have clearly reached an impasse. Maybe give it rest already.

If you don't like this thread, don't post in it, you just helped keep it alive.

This thread is a giant ####-ball rolling down a mountain. I'm just trying to save the town people from the wrath-of-#### which will occur when it reaches the bottom. - Jim Lahey

For seriousness though, some of us use this forum as a way to figure things out, to get more accurate rankings. Posters on this thread could actually offer some useful insight/discussion elsewhere, which would generally making the SP a better place imo. This whole childish 'yes it is' - 'no it isn't' ego boosting back-and-forth has really gotten old. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way.

My recent 2 posts has nothing to do with the momentum of this thread, either. A single post on a thread of 69 pages really is a drop in an ocean. I deny contributing to this ####-storm.

 

[georg013]

I don't believe tonight is a make or break. For me, only the regular season will determine that. Looking forward to closure either way. For some, they have all they need to make a decision. I, on the other hand, still have some questions that need to be answered. And no amount of "What more do you need to see", "His ypc is terrible", "Donald Brown was better than him" will change that. Perhaps that upsets some but oh well. IF I decide to wash my hands of TRich it will because I have PERSONALLY and THOROUGHLY examined every avenue. Once I am satisfied, I will make a decision. But not a second before. I know it is not the popular choice around here but it is my choice. And honestly, that is the only choice that matters to me. I could care less what anyone thinks about it.

 

[Jrodicus]

Pretty much has to be make or break for his value after tonight, right? I watch most Alabama football games and I thought he was the best out of him, Lacy and Ingram (had Ingram last). Really surprised to see him struggle in the NFL like this. If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face. Even if you think he'll suck but get a good workload, usually guys like that get replaced after a few games. If he's averaging 3YPC after 4 games, no way do they let him get away with 200-300 carries on the season.

Like a bad night tonight will deter any of his believers.

Like a good night tonight will deter any of his haters.

That is simply not true. If he plays well I'll be the first to say it. I've already said he looked better last week than in the first game. Picked up Dan Herron just in case though.

FTR, I don't consider you to be a hater.

I've picked up Herron where I can as well, even though I think TRich is worth the risk at his current price.

 

[EBF]

If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face.

I think you have to recognize the distinction between playing well and having good stats. Those two things often overlap, but sometimes they don't. I've seen several backs this preseason who have played well and had ugly stats. Tre Mason is one example. On paper it looks like he's really struggling. If you've watched the games, I think he has shown pretty good promise. Much of his struggles can be attributed to contextual failures such as bad blocking. When there is literally no hole, it's very hard to get good yardage.

In a similar vein, I thought Trent looked fairly good last game. I wish the clips were online so people could watch for themselves, but I didn't watch him and think, "OMG this guy is brutal." The Colts suck at blocking in general and it doesn't seem like that has changed. If you want to blame that all on Richardson then that's fine, but for me he looks more like a promising back in a horrendous context rather than a guy who obviously lacks any and all merit. I've seen worse backs like Rashad Jennings generate a positive buzz this preseason and I think a lot of the difference is just down to the playcalling and the quality of the blocking that's in front of them.

We already know what's going to happen tonight. If Trent averages 3.X YPC or worse, it's going to be the same crowd with the "OMG he sucks so bad! LOL!" stuff. If he comes out and lights it up, there will be a few true believers playing the "I told you so" card and then a lot of haters playing the "It's just one meaningless preseason game" card. Everyone will go to sleep having interpreted the events of the game in a way that supports whatever opinion they already hold. I think instead of just looking at the box score, it's probably better if you also look at the actual performance in addition to that, but of course that introduces a lot of subjectivity into the mix. Unless it's obviously slanted one way or the other, chances are you're going to get some people thinking he looked promising and some people thinking he was dog ####.

So basically this thread will continue to be a porto-potty until several years have passed and the verdict of his career has been decided beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face.

I think you have to recognize the distinction between playing well and having good stats. Those two things often overlap, but sometimes they don't. I've seen several backs this preseason who have played well and had ugly stats. Tre Mason is one example. On paper it looks like he's really struggling. If you've watched the games, I think he has shown pretty good promise. Much of his struggles can be attributed to contextual failures such as bad blocking. When there is literally no hole, it's very hard to get good yardage.

In a similar vein, I thought Trent looked fairly good last game. I wish the clips were online so people could watch for themselves, but I didn't watch him and think, "OMG this guy is brutal." The Colts suck at blocking in general and it doesn't seem like that has changed. If you want to blame that all on Richardson then that's fine, but for me he looks more like a promising back in a horrendous context rather than a guy who obviously lacks any and all merit. I've seen worse backs like Rashad Jennings generate a positive buzz this preseason and I think a lot of the difference is just down to the playcalling and the quality of the blocking that's in front of them.

We already know what's going to happen tonight. If Trent averages 3.X YPC or worse, it's going to be the same crowd with the "OMG he sucks so bad! LOL!" stuff. If he comes out and lights it up, there will be a few true believers playing the "I told you so" card and then a lot of haters playing the "It's just one meaningless preseason game" card. Everyone will go to sleep having interpreted the events of the game in a way that supports whatever opinion they already hold. I think instead of just looking at the box score, it's probably better if you also look at the actual performance in addition to that, but of course that introduces a lot of subjectivity into the mix. Unless it's obviously slanted one way or the other, chances are you're going to get some people thinking he looked promising and some people thinking he was dog ####.

So basically this thread will continue to be a porto-potty until several years have passed and the verdict of his career has been decided beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

ps

I think you have to recognize the distinction between playing well and having good stats. Those two things often overlap, but sometimes they don't. I've seen several backs this preseason who have played well and had ugly stats. Tre Mason is one example. On paper it looks like he's really struggling. If you've watched the games, I think he has shown pretty good promise. Much of his struggles can be attributed to contextual failures such as bad blocking. When there is literally no hole, it's very hard to get good yardage.

In a similar vein, I thought Trent looked fairly good last game. I wish the clips were online so people could watch for themselves, but I didn't watch him and think, "OMG this guy is brutal." The Colts suck at blocking in general and it doesn't seem like that has changed. If you want to blame that all on Richardson then that's fine, but for me he looks more like a promising back in a horrendous context rather than a guy who obviously lacks any and all merit. I've seen worse backs like Rashad Jennings generate a positive buzz this preseason and I think a lot of the difference is just down to the playcalling and the quality of the blocking that's in front of them.

We already know what's going to happen tonight. If Trent averages 3.X YPC or worse, it's going to be the same crowd with the "OMG he sucks so bad! LOL!" stuff. If he comes out and lights it up, there will be a few true believers playing the "I told you so" card and then a lot of haters playing the "It's just one meaningless preseason game" card. Everyone will go to sleep having interpreted the events of the game in a way that supports whatever opinion they already hold. I think instead of just looking at the box score, it's probably better if you also look at the actual performance in addition to that, but of course that introduces a lot of subjectivity into the mix. Unless it's obviously slanted one way or the other, chances are you're going to get some people thinking he looked promising and some people thinking he was dog ####.

So basically this thread will continue to be a porto-potty until several years have passed and the verdict of his career has been decided beyond a reasonable doubt.

so, why is it people should watch the last game, but watching this game would serve no purpose?

 

[EBF]

If he lays an egg tonight, I dunno how you could have any expectations for him and keep a straight face.

I think you have to recognize the distinction between playing well and having good stats. Those two things often overlap, but sometimes they don't. I've seen several backs this preseason who have played well and had ugly stats. Tre Mason is one example. On paper it looks like he's really struggling. If you've watched the games, I think he has shown pretty good promise. Much of his struggles can be attributed to contextual failures such as bad blocking. When there is literally no hole, it's very hard to get good yardage.

In a similar vein, I thought Trent looked fairly good last game. I wish the clips were online so people could watch for themselves, but I didn't watch him and think, "OMG this guy is brutal." The Colts suck at blocking in general and it doesn't seem like that has changed. If you want to blame that all on Richardson then that's fine, but for me he looks more like a promising back in a horrendous context rather than a guy who obviously lacks any and all merit. I've seen worse backs like Rashad Jennings generate a positive buzz this preseason and I think a lot of the difference is just down to the playcalling and the quality of the blocking that's in front of them.

We already know what's going to happen tonight. If Trent averages 3.X YPC or worse, it's going to be the same crowd with the "OMG he sucks so bad! LOL!" stuff. If he comes out and lights it up, there will be a few true believers playing the "I told you so" card and then a lot of haters playing the "It's just one meaningless preseason game" card. Everyone will go to sleep having interpreted the events of the game in a way that supports whatever opinion they already hold. I think instead of just looking at the box score, it's probably better if you also look at the actual performance in addition to that, but of course that introduces a lot of subjectivity into the mix. Unless it's obviously slanted one way or the other, chances are you're going to get some people thinking he looked promising and some people thinking he was dog ####.

So basically this thread will continue to be a porto-potty until several years have passed and the verdict of his career has been decided beyond a reasonable doubt.

If you think we already have an answer on that, you might want to check out this classic FBG reading:

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=451644

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=403938

Same lynch mob mentality still pervades. Just different names (Ingram, Richardson these days).

Here's another pertinent old post on Thomas Jones:

http://forums.footballguys.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=80152&p=1309249

Jones is one of the most hated players on this board. Many people here laugh at anyone who has him on their team, saying he sucks and is not worth a roster spot. This makes him very undervalued if you play in leagues with other FBG members. If Jones ends up decent, 95% of the people here will look like fools. Everyone here just follows the herd. If he has a good year, Im sure all the haters will turn to supporters. Thats why this board is such a joke.

Same old routine plays out here over and over again. Sometimes the players really suck (i.e. Willie Green), but often times it's just premature hate.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

could you dig me up some lynch mob reading on laurence maroney?

 

[Bob Barker]

less than 10 minutes to show time boys. I predict over a 4.0 YPC tonight and all the haters will be silenced for good

 

[SameSongNDance]

less than 10 minutes to show time boys. I predict over a 4.0 YPC tonight and all the haters will be silenced for good

It'll probably take more than a an average preseason outing to "silence the haters". I love this thread btw.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

dude's already benched 3 plays into the game

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

A 67-page discussion about a below-average RB fascinates me.

Many people thought he was as "can't miss" as Adrian Peterson coming out. Watching him turn into an absolute scrub is a tough pill to swallow for many.

Denial can last awhile.

Great posting.Had Andrew Luck, Calvin Johnson or Adrian Peterson been complete busts, even through 2 years, folks would have been doing the same thing. It's tough, because we all Wanted h to be the next great RB and because every sign pointed to him Being the next great RB.

RBs are expected to be studs out of the gate, where it's easier to give WRs and QBs a year or two. I'd like him to turn it around, but that means going from not-NFL starter quality to a true w

 

[SacramentoBob]

So far so good.

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

How does he look? Does he have on his ballerina shoes again?

nah, he looked good on 2 runs in the 2nd series.

looked like he didn't know where to line up on one of them

 

[Raider Nation]

:backpedal:

 

[SacramentoBob]

I guess that's that.

 

[Reegus]

Bradshaw can't get it done either

 

[georg013]

How has Bradshaw looked? Surely he is ripping off some long ones.

 

[Raider Nation]

I propose a new nickname: "2nd and 9"

 

[gump]

This OL is not good at run blocking, right?

 

[Kool-Aid Larry]

How has Bradshaw looked? Surely he is ripping off some long ones.

looked great on an 11 yd catch and run --- that's the kind of running richardson dreams about at night.

also, so much faith in richardson they had bradshaw in at the goal line